‘The Gefilte Manifesto’ dinner in Berkeley

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New York’s Gefilteria founders, Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern, have taken on Old World Jewish foods and given them a new twist that recalls how Ashkenazi food is supposed to be, rather than how it appears on supermarket shelves. (Photo: Gefilteria)

New York’s Gefilteria founders, Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern, have written a cookbook, “The Gefilte Manifesto.” (Courtesy of Lauren Volo)

We cannot resist a great title — especially when it’s wrapped around delicious fare. New York’s Gefilteria founders, Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, are heading for Berkeley next week to kibbitz on the topic of new wave, Old World Jewish foods and their new cookbook, “The Gefilte Manifesto.” (See? Brilliant.) And, of course, to eat. And you can join them.

Concerned about the loss of classic Jewish delis a few years ago, the duo started looking at what was landing on their tables and specifically, what had happened to gefilte fish. “The dish had been held sacred by generations of Ashkenazi Jews and NO ONE should grow up thinking gefilte fish only comes in a jar,” they wrote in their manifesto.

The result: They launched a gourmet Gefilteria, and added pop-ups, dinners and now a book, “The Gefilte Manifesto” (Flatiron Books, $35), to inspire you to back away from those supermarket jars and make your own haute borscht, cool schmears and, of course, the famous fish.

Join them for dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at Peter Levitt’s Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen (1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley). The event is so popular, they’ve already sold out a second seating, so if you want to go, get those reservations in: 510-848-DELI.

Jackie Burrell is the editor and senior writer for the Mercury News and East Bay Times' Eat Drink Play section, which explores the West Coast's food, wine, cocktail and travel scene each week. An award-winning writer, Burrell joined the Bay Area News Group staff in 2000.